Steel Magnolias #34

Hi girls! Nope didn't fall off the earth just have been sick for a week and then yesterday had to sit downstairs all day and wait for Fedex to deliver something I had to sign for. They didn't get here until late so the whole day was wasted.

I am having lunch with dd and gs tomorrow so I get to hear about their vacation. He sent me a postcard telling me all about the alligators they saw and fed (threw marshmallows at them I guess). She wrote it but knowing her she asked him what he wanted to tell us.

Another snafu with the car so we have to drop it off this weekend. There have been more problems getting this car repaired!

Hope you all are doing well.

Maggie: Glad your 'puter lets you in from time to time. I am with you. Sept starts the new school year and Oct is the government's new year so it should be SM's new year too! We are going to do this together!

Good Afternoon, Flowers!
It is a hot and humid afternoon at 90 degrees! Of course we didn't get out of school even though all of the surrounding schools did. The "after school program" (free babysitting!!) would have been cancelled and those parents don't make any advance plans for their small children. Needless to say, many of us were pretty crabby by the end of the day!

I'm feeling swamped at school . . . too much to do and too little time to do it in. MIL is leaving to go back to AZ next week and she has a "to do" list that she wants done before she leaves. We are trying to get the family together for one last hurrah this weekend and to tell her goodbye.

"Gma" -- I hope you are feeling better! I was worried about you and thought maybe I missed your post saying you were going to be gone. I hate waiting for deliverymen and repairmen . . . they never seem to show up when they say they will. Enjoy your lunch with T tomorrow!

I need to dream up something for supper. It's so hot that nothing sounds good so maybe I'll wait till the sun goes down and then do something about it!

Wow! September already, it doesn't seem possible. Although it was a fast summer....wasn't it Jean?.....we really didn't get any beach time in. We were at the Cape for the Fourth of July and again last Thursday for the day. That is truly unlike us as we are beach people. I think age and the fact that we really shouldn't be in the sun so much and also the traffic factor makes the difference. Traffic to and from the Cape...normally an hours drive has doubled and on some days tripled. It is beautifly sunny and just cool enough to be enjoyable and no humidity....it is supposed to be this way thru Labor Day.

Eldest GS (20) has just returned from a country wide, month long band tour. We were not too pleased about this as he really doesn't play with the band but is just a gofer. It is a heavy metal band UGH! and they were playing one night stands and driving 9 or more hours between gigs. Went from the East coast all the way across country to San Diego on the West coast. Oh, well since no one could talk him out of it the best thing is it is over and he is save. He has promised to start college this year. He took last year off and goofed around. Can you tell I am not a happy camper about this. He also moved out and since he came back has asked his mom if he could move back in. Maybe is wasn't a bad experince afterall. We shall see!!!!!

MAGGIE: So glad to see you are able to get here, even if only occassionally!
A new month and a new start....sounds good to me!

JEAN: Hope the school year calms down for you and maybe when the heat cools off you won't be so stressed.

FAYE: Waiting for a dellivery is the worst. Except waiting for your car to be repaired..... Hope, once they get the car, it won't take too long.

Gloria in MA....since the weather is cooperating I think I will get some ironing done. Have a great day all!

Good Afternoon, Flowers!
We got out of school at 1:30 today but I stayed another hour+ to clean off the top of my desk. I'm finally caught up on the daily correcting and copying . . . until tomorrow! I am so tired of kids handing assignments in late as it makes more work for me and I don't have time for that this year! I was making copies and the fire alarm went off. I had the door shut because the workroom is air conditioned, and just ignored the fire alarm. I guess one of the lights got too hot as I could smell the smoke in another hallway later. Everyone had to leave the building and here was Jean, just making copies like crazy!

The freshmen girls are testing the waters: passing notes, flirting openly with the boys, and just being generally obnoxious. I hope they outgrow it and the sooner the better! After middle school "fun" they don't realize how different the high school is until they end up with detention or restricted lunch time. They are totally insulted when told to be quiet during class or study hall.

It is not as hot today as it was yesterday but the superintendent called for the early dismissal on the 7:00 news this morning. It is supposed to be 90 again tomorrow so I'm wondering if we will get out early again. That would be nice!

Gloria -- How nice to see you again! My grandkids aren't old enough to make any major decisions but it is sure hard when your own kids make poor choices! I know my parents worried about Jason when he dropped out of school for a year and a half. He did work at a entry level job and realized he wanted more out of life than that. It took him 9 years but he finally did graduate from college and made us proud as he was a 3rd generation from the same college we graduated from as well as my in-laws. We got him settled into the "real" world and now our DD has lost her common sense but that is another whole story in itself! Are you doing anything special over the long weekend? I have a feeling it will fly by much too fast!

I need to make a grocery list and head for the store. I hope you all have had a good day and enjoy your evening!

OK I have discovered it is NOT my computer that keeps me off this thread but the traffic. I get stuck in traffic on this information highway. But I got in today! We had a scrumptions meal to celebrate Cowboys birthday. Fillet Minyon and steamed broccoli and red potatoes. Yummy to the last piece. The local fair started today at 4pm and the traffic there was thick. We didn't go but just went to check it out. Later for that.

FAYE that is too bad about your car not getting fixed up pronto. That can be so frustrating. Hope your time with your daughter and grandson went well. Keep your FOCUS this weekend and I will keep mine. If the traffic keeps me out of here I will e-mail you.

JEAN our temperature kinda matches you but we don't have that humidity. I hope your family "hurrah" turns out fun and a memorable occasion. Take pictures for the memory book.

GLORIA I too love the beach. I grew up 2 blocks from my beloved Pacific Ocean and miss it for sure. I am sure you did have fun at the Cape though. It is probably good that your grandson did stay out a year before strting college. If his head wasn't in it it would have been a total waste of money. Now he wants to move home and go to school ~ good sign that he is ready to nuckle down and buckle down.

Have a wonderful weekend ladies. I will post when I can.

__________________DON'T EXCHANGE WHAT YOU WANT MOST
FOR WHAT YOU WANT AT THE MOMENTDOWN THE ROAD TO THINSUCCESS OCCURS WHEN OPPORTUNITY MEETS PREPARATION

Good Morning, Flowers!
Leonard and I have been to the vet for his yearly shots and now I'm getting ready to go back into town and do some errands. I should have done them during the week on my way home from school but I was so hot and tired all I wanted to do was come home.

Maggie -- However did you figure out what the problem was getting into 3FC? I'm so glad to see you here again! It sounds like you had a delicious meal for Cowboy's birthday! Wish him a "Happy Belated from me. Our weather is supposed to be cooling down into the 70s next week. I hope so because 80s with humidity is just too hot for school!

I need to get in gear and get on with the rest of my day. I have to put a salad together for tomorrow and get the laundry going.

I hope you all have a nice day and enjoyable weekend! Summer really feels like it is over after Labor Day.

It is supposed to be warmer today and top out to 90 and on Monday 100. But as I said we have low humidity so it isn't a killer like thouse of you down south have. The fire is out now and it will just be a matter of time before another one breaks out. They closed the juvenile correction center which was up the mountain a few miles and now have adult males incarcerated there. However, they are the best of the best and will aid our firefighters. There are 100 of them ~ wonder if any were on my caseload as teens.

I am going to make my menu up for the coming week. This summer we have been eating out absolutely too much and I have to get back into the mode of cooking. I do so much better when I have my menu planned out.

I have had my shower and am sitting here sipping my morning coffee through a straw. Life is good. I think I will do a brunch in a bit.

JEAN I feel so sorry for you in that humidity. I remember it when we were in TN and how it saped my strength. I don't like that feeling. But we all have choices as to where we live so maybe I shouldn't feel so sorry for you afterall. What kind of shots does Leonard get every year? The vet doesn't give Turn any because he is a total inside cat. He is sure fun. Wonder what he will think of when we get an Old English Sheepdog puppy ~ that is if he is still alive for it may be awhile. The veterans have put out a really cute calendar this year with kittens and puppies.

Have a wonderful safe holiday weekend.

__________________DON'T EXCHANGE WHAT YOU WANT MOST
FOR WHAT YOU WANT AT THE MOMENTDOWN THE ROAD TO THINSUCCESS OCCURS WHEN OPPORTUNITY MEETS PREPARATION

Maggie, creating menus ahead of time is a good plan. We eat out more during the school year than we do during the summer months. DH likes to grill and that's fine with me. I don't take the WW magazine so will have to look for it in the store. We have all 3 cats vaccinated for rabies, feline leukemia, and distemper. Maggie is the only one who tries to get outside (sometimes succeeding); and since we live a distance away from town, where skunks, raccoons, and possums roam, I'd rather be safe than sorry. Maggie has also come nose to nose with the stray cats so that is another reason to do so. A few years ago, Leonard did spend the night outside and I didn't miss him until I got up the next morning to see him peeking in the back door. I never did figure how he got out without me knowing it and I was a bit surprised that he was smart enough to stick around. "Mom" was a stray to start with so I can hold the door open and she won't go near it.

The humidity isn't as high today, but the wind is blowing like crazy, so it doesn't feel "hot" to go outside. I still have the air on as the weatherman says it will hit 90 tomorrow.

I have quit the pool for the year and developing other exercise plans for the fall and winter and spring now. I am going to combine shorting walking periods a couple times a day (since my fall my knee has to be built back up again) and weight lifting and I am going to get some yoga dvds I think or Tai Chi or something like that.

Had a great time with dgs and dd and got some misunderstandings out of the way with her so I hope we will spend more time together.

Gloria: Gotta get hip grandma, he was a "roadie" not a gofer with the band! That is a particularly pain in the behind age, they are adults but still act like children. Mom and Dad better set some good limits and make him pay to live back home. It is good for him to contribute to the household and not just sponge. When our son lost his job, he had to help with groceries and pay $10 a week to live at home out of his unemployment. It still took him a year to move out.

Jean: Sounds like you have your hands full with school this year. Girls now days are so "out there" with no respect for themselves or their bodies and that is so sad. We have uniforms in school here so that cut down on the "naked body" issues so many schools have to deal with. Ours was more related to kids getting beat up and killed over jackets etc.

Maggie: I am like you and developing what I want and need to do over fall and winter with regards to food and exercise. I have to get back to when I first started and begin again like I had not lost any weight and want to start from where I am right now.

Good Evening, Flowers!
I am home after spending most the day with 10 adults and 3 children under the age of 2, in cramped quarters, watching the weather go by! It was so windy we couldn't be outside, it poured rain this afternoon, and we are under a tornado watch until 9 PM. We watched the storm roll through around suppertime and when it quit raining, we all loaded up, and headed for home. The sky was bright blue in the west and we watched the prettiest sunset we've seen in a long time.

"Gma" -- I personally would like to see the dress code go to uniforms but I doubt that will ever happen when there are some students who never pay the book rental fees nor the art fees, etc. Heck, they even get their shots "free" although I know who is paying for them. . .ME! It just irritates me that some parents don't bother to teach their kids manners at home and then wonder why they are in trouble at school. I raised my own and I shouldn't have to "raise" the students I work with. I'm glad you had an enjoyable lunch with your dd and T.

I am tired and looking forward to a shower and bed soon!

I hope you all have had a nice day today. Enjoy your day tomorrow and do something nice for someone you love!

It has been a lovely day today. The fire has been put out now another is going in another place. Seems someone sure wants to burn the forest down. Since we haven't had any rain since April 15th things sure do go up fast around here. Florida is getting all the water bless their hearts. Tomorrow we go to the market and get the things for the menu I worked up. Also to get me some new "unders." I love it when I have to get new ones a smaller size!

JEAN uniforms would be grand for all school children. No clothes competition there. Wonder why you have so much trouble in your school and others don't have that. Guess it depends who is the principle and how much they want the teachers to put up with. Take a look at other schools around the country that have an influx of Hispanic students and they don't have your trouble. I for one would not put up with the problems that you deal with. I got paid for working with criminals and had more control over them than you do at that school. You don't get paid enough not to have more protection and tools to deal with the type of students you say you have. They need to give you some training to deal with the type of student you are now forced to work with. I had vast amounts of training on how to deal with hoodlums. I would get out of there and quick before you do get hurt or go bonkers. That is my two cents worth. Come here and vent about them all you want though because I won't lecture you any more. You know how I feel about it and enough said. Have a nice day off tomorrow.

FAYE we both have about the same goal to reach by December 21. I want to lose down to 274. Let's DO IT . I am going to do my indoor walking videos for starters and then walk outside when it cools down and I build up some stamina. My arthritic right knee needs strength and that is my "good" leg.

__________________DON'T EXCHANGE WHAT YOU WANT MOST
FOR WHAT YOU WANT AT THE MOMENTDOWN THE ROAD TO THINSUCCESS OCCURS WHEN OPPORTUNITY MEETS PREPARATION

Good Morning, Flowers!
Since I played yesterday, I have work to do today . . finish the laundry, iron, and vacuum up the cat fur. I still think I should have bald cats from the amount of fur they leave behind!

The sun is shining and it is a cool 64 degrees this morning with a stiff breeze. I wonder if Frances will have any effect on our weather? After watching the weather channel videos, I can't imagine the destruction the hurricane has done nor where/how one would begin to clean up and rebuild.

Maggie -- My own kids were not interested in the latest fashion fads so I was lucky not to have to shop the expensive stores for them when they were in school. Even though BD is considered special ed., most of the students I work with (Level I and II, not BD) are really nice kids. I am especially enjoying the speech class where there are more ESL students that special ed. students. We had a speaker at an in service last year and he is a Lutheran minister who spent 20+ years in a Latin American country, working as a missionary. He gave us some insight into their culture; for the girls it is to look sexy and be pregnant asap while for the boys it is to drink and fight to show their masculinity, time has no meaning for them and that is why they are consistently late. What is just so funny is that when he moved back here, he had a son and a daughter in the high school. The son was a senior, a very nice young man, and very good looking. Some Hispanic girls were commenting on how cute he was and he replied back to them in Spanish, saying, "thank you for the compliment!" Since he was born and raised in a Spanish speaking country, he can speak it fluently. They had no way of knowing and were so embarrassed. We have a principal who keeps a tight reign on the dress code as far as showing no skin and filing assault charges on anyone who fights whether they are black, white, or brown. Once a student reaches 16, he tells them that if they don't like the way the school is run (his way) they can leave and never come back. Unfortunately, if the student has been in trouble, the court will mandate that they be in school or the alternative is being sent away which costs the county lots of money. Knowing some of the baggage these students come to school with, it is amazing that they can function on a daily basis.

Do any of you use the weatherbug? Mine is working, I think, but the current temperature doesn't register. I can pull up the forecast and it's there but I like to have it current on my screen.

It is 2:45 and 95 here and I am glad to be home in my cool house. We went down the mountain and did some shopping and got what we needed. Lots of folks leaving the Yosemite on this day to get back for work and school tomorrow. The fair ends this evening and so I will go pick up my village in the morning.

JEAN we have a different mind set of Hispanics here and and in Texas. Maybe they came from a different section of Mexico than the ones that live in Iowa. The ones we have observed and worked with believe in getting to places on time or before at work, school and church. At times they were there before the doors were opened. It is definitely a learned behavior.

Have a wonderful holiday folks.

__________________DON'T EXCHANGE WHAT YOU WANT MOST
FOR WHAT YOU WANT AT THE MOMENTDOWN THE ROAD TO THINSUCCESS OCCURS WHEN OPPORTUNITY MEETS PREPARATION

Maggie, wish I could send some of my cooler weather your way! It is supposed to get down into the 40s tonight!

The Hispanic students here prefer to be called Mexicans and most of them were born in the USA. . .either Texas or California. When we have a late start morning or a no school day, there will be several who arrive at 7 AM anyway because their parents drop them off on their way to work. When I said "late" I was referring to being tardy to class because they are in the hallways making goo-goo eyes at the opposite sex or the girls are in the bathroom putting on another layer of makeup. The parents work hard and line up at the post office, on payday, to send money back to Mexico where their relatives live. DH has a client who plans to retire soon and he will be moving back to Mexico because he has saved his money and can live more cheaply down there. It is the few "bad eggs" who give the rest a bad reputation although our police force has tripled in size in the last couple of years and they are kept pretty busy.

I hope you get your village back home safely! Have a marvelous Monday!

I think this is post #14 for whomever posts next.

Jean -- from Iowa!

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